§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement concerning the application of the principle of subsidiarity to the purposes, and proposals made in the communication of the European Commission (7390/92) concerning policies for postal services, indicating which proposal for improvements could not be achieved by national postal authorities or by co-operation within the international postal union.
§ Mr. Leigh[holding answer 19 October 1992]: The range, quality, reliability and pricing of postal services varies considerably throughout the European Community. The EC Commission has taken the view that postal services form an essential part of the social and business infrastructure of the EC, and that individuals and organisations are entitled to certain minimum standards. The Commission's proposals in its Green Paper on postal 275W services are to achieve their objective essentially through a combination of harmonisation and market opening measures, and the elimination of harmful cross-subsidies. The principle of subsidiarity will be reflected in that member states will remain free to provide postal services to a higher standard than the minima decreed by the Commission, to adopt more liberal regimes, to organise their regulatory structures and generally to tailor their services to meet the specific needs of local circumstances.